UC Davis or Northeastern, both sticker? Forum

[gb244]

Hey TLS,
Long time lurker, but this is my first post. My cycle is over, and I have the choice between Northeastern Law and UC Davis (I was really lucky to get into that one). I probably will want to practice on the East Coast, and expect to pay sticker at both. I may even want to practice in MA or NY (I know placement is iffy on both schools). I currently live in MA. Which would be best for my situation? While UC Davis is higher ranked, I currently feel Northeastern's regional connections would better serve my interests. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Would the higher ranked school be better or worse here? Does Davis even have a reputation on the East?
Thank you.

[malfurion]

With the huge tuition increases coming at UC schools, Davis is just too expensive to pay sticker for unless you really want to be in Northern CA. It is a significantly higher ranked school, but I don't know if it will really give you much better opportunities in the northeast. On the other hand, if you were good enough to get accepted at Davis, you should certainly be getting some money from a school the caliber of Northeastern. If you can convince Northeastern to give you some money, I'd lean in that direction. Otherwise I'd probably consider waiting a year, trying to get your LSAT up a few points, and apply to a lot more east coast schools in the lower tier 1 / upper tier 2 range (I don't know your scores or where you applied, so this might not be feasible, but it's just what came to my mind).

What made you decide to apply to Davis? (I'm not criticizing your choice, but thinking about it might shed some light on your decision)

[reverendt]

With the huge tuition increases coming at UC schools, Davis is just too expensive to pay sticker for unless you really want to be in Northern CA. It is a significantly higher ranked school, but I don't know if it will really give you much better opportunities in the northeast. On the other hand, if you were good enough to get accepted at Davis, you should certainly be getting some money from a school the caliber of Northeastern. If you can convince Northeastern to give you some money, I'd lean in that direction. Otherwise I'd probably consider waiting a year, trying to get your LSAT up a few points, and apply to a lot more east coast schools in the lower tier 1 / upper tier 2 range (I don't know your scores or where you applied, so this might not be feasible, but it's just what came to my mind).

What made you decide to apply to Davis? (I'm not criticizing your choice, but thinking about it might shed some light on your decision)

This is good advice. If you wanna work in the east, don't go to Davis. Try to get some money out of Northeastern.
If you can get into Davis you might be good for UConn, and another few LSAT points maybe BU, BC or Fordham. Of course, that is if you want to wait.
If you don't, shake down NE for some $$$.

[gb244]

thanks for the comments so far guys! I was really lucky to get into UC Davis (150ish lsat and 3.9+ gpa) so I'm really grateful they took a chance on me. Out of all the schools, they were the only ones that I saw a holistic outcome (just on results). I'm not sure if its too late to get any aide from NE law though, especially this late in the year. And because of my lsat, its not like I'm getting any merit aide. I was originally wait-listed at NE until I got off. I applied to UC schools because I had family in Anaheim, CA. However, I also have family near Boston, so hence my application to NE as well. Thanks for the advice, any further insight would be great!

[keg411]

Why not go visit Davis? Maybe you will likely Cali and forget about NY/Boston. Still, both are SO freakin' expensive for the job opportunities they offer. This seems like a disaster waiting to happen. Did you at least apply to UConn PT?

[gb244]

Sadly, I did not apply to UConn, and I wish I did. Debt, however, is not really a big problem, so paying sticker isn't that much of an issue. Unless I hear back happy news from Columbia, which is highly unlikely given my stats/score (I'm surprised I'm not flat out rejected already, and I applied back in October), I'll only have the option to choose between these two. Oh, and I'm also currently waitlisted at George Washington law, which once again, is a pleasant surprise given my numbers. I hear though that their WL is huge.

[keg411]

Sadly, I did not apply to UConn, and I wish I did. Debt, however, is not really a big problem, so paying sticker isn't that much of an issue. Unless I hear back happy news from Columbia, which is highly unlikely given my stats/score (I'm surprised I'm not flat out rejected already, and I applied back in October), I'll only have the option to choose between these two. Oh, and I'm also currently waitlisted at George Washington law, which once again, is a pleasant surprise given my numbers. I hear though that their WL is huge.

If money is not an issue, go visit Davis and see if you like Northern Cali. If you hate it, then your choice will be made easily. I just get the feeling that job prospects are better out of Davis than they are out of Northeastern (in Cali/Mass respectively), but I could be VERY wrong on that since I'm not super familiar with either legal market.

[quadsixm]

N'eastern for sure then

Hey TLS,
Long time lurker, but this is my first post. My cycle is over, and I have the choice between Northeastern Law and UC Davis (I was really lucky to get into that one). I probably will want to practice on the East Coast, and expect to pay sticker at both. I may even want to practice in MA or NY (I know placement is iffy on both schools). I currently live in MA. Which would be best for my situation? While UC Davis is higher ranked, I currently feel Northeastern's regional connections would better serve my interests. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Would the higher ranked school be better or worse here? Does Davis even have a reputation on the East?
Thank you.

[reverendt]

Sadly, I did not apply to UConn, and I wish I did. Debt, however, is not really a big problem, so paying sticker isn't that much of an issue. Unless I hear back happy news from Columbia, which is highly unlikely given my stats/score (I'm surprised I'm not flat out rejected already, and I applied back in October), I'll only have the option to choose between these two. Oh, and I'm also currently waitlisted at George Washington law, which once again, is a pleasant surprise given my numbers. I hear though that their WL is huge.

If money is not an issue, go visit Davis and see if you like Northern Cali. If you hate it, then your choice will be made easily. I just get the feeling that job prospects are better out of Davis than they are out of Northeastern (in Cali/Mass respectively), but I could be VERY wrong on that since I'm not super familiar with either legal market.

This.
If money is not a problem it changes the equation.
You'll get a fine education at both schools. Chance of biglaw will be fairly restricted, but as long as you're fine with that I think either school will serve you well.
At NE you'll be in a big city. Davis you'll be in a smaller town.
Davis might open a few more doors in general (although not in the northeast) but NE has an interesting co-op program that's really unique and seems to place grads into some pretty good niches in the Boston market.
I would recommend visiting Davis in case you find you love it....and if not go to NE.